12 TIPS TO MAKE SUPERMARKET SHOPPING EASY, AFFORDABLE AND HEALTHY

You want to get healthier, loose weight and eat better, but you find it hard to get on track. I’ve discovered that 50% of getting healthy is being prepared. Here are my 12 best tips for supermarket shopping, so that you don’t over-spend, you buy the healthy foods you promised yourself you would eat and you effortlessly get in and out of the supermarket.

Make a list

We’ve all heard that having a list is a must when supermarket shopping. I’m pretty forgetful, so throughout the week I write down foods that run out, recipe ingredients I want and foods that I’m craving. This helps me remember what to buy and also helps me to not over-spend when I’m supermarket shopping. In my list I try to include:

•Fruits (for snacks, smoothies, infusions)

•Veggies (the ones I want to eat raw and the ones I need to cook)

•Legumes (beans, lentils)

•Protein that I want for the week

•Healthy fats (oils for dressings, nuts and seeds for snacks or salads, avocado)

•Pleasure food

Have a snack before going to the supermarket

My #1 over-spending cause is being hungry when I go to the supermarket, and I’m sure I’m not alone. Even if you have a list, you will probably put things in your cart that you don’t need or even want to have in your kitchen, but hunger makes you think that you do. Having a small snack before shopping can help you stay on a budget and buy the food that you really want in your kitchen.

Shop on a weekday

Did you know that only 12% of Americans go to the supermarket on Wednesdays? I’m not one of those people that like to take her time at the supermarket. I want to be in and out asap! Having said that, I also like to read labels, look for high quality products and compare products based on price and quality. This is why I would rather shop when there are less people around. There’s nothing worst than crowded aisles and long lines. I invite you to try a few times to shop on a weekday and see how relaxed you feel. Try different days, in my town I’ve found that nobody shops on Friday afternoon, which is when I’ll be doing my shopping.

Don’t buy based on known brands

Brand recognition makes us believe that we know and trust that brand, but we need to be aware the power that marketing has over us. Of course, there are brands that I trust and buy over and over again, but they’ve won my trust with the quality of their products. If I don’t know what brand to buy, I start off with a popular brand, and I read the label. Then, I move onto other brands and compare their labels, price and look out for other things that are important to me (for example, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy free).

Read labels

I’m obsessed with reading labels, but I’m also aware that it can be intimidating and overwhelming if you’re just starting on your health journey. I’ll do another article on how to read labels, but for now I’ll just give you 2 super practical tips. First, as often as possible buy things that don’t even have a label (you know, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, etc.). If you’re buying foods with a label, the less ingredients that food has, the better. Lets say you’re buying crackers, and you find one box that has 10 ingredients and another that has 6 ingredients: the one with fewer ingredients will be the cleaner label. You don’t have to count the ingredients, just guess. This is a super easy way to buy better foods.

Shop for items along the wall first

If you think of any supermarket, what are the types of foods they have along the wall? What foods are found in the isles? In every supermarket they have the fruits, veggies, meats along the wall and the processed foods in the isles. Shop first for the natural foods and then go to the isles for the processed foods. I can’t really explain it, but a mental shift happens when you shop like this, it’s like you’re putting natural foods on the top of your priority list.

Buy local and Buy seasonal fruits and veggies

Instead of going to the supermarket, go to your local farmers market. They will have fresh produce, organic eggs from free-range chickens and many treasures that you’ll discover once you shop there. You’re accomplishing 3 things when you shop at the farmers market. One, you’ll be buying local, which means that the food will be filled with nutrients that you need for the region that you live in (and you’ll be supporting local farmers and businesses). Two, you’ll be ‘forced’ to buy fruits and veggies that are in season. It’s not normal to have certain fruits and veggies available all year! Third, you’ll feel more connected to the environment and to your community.

If you want to stop eating something, don’t buy it

When it comes to getting healthier one of the hardest things is to re-wire our brain to eat healthy even when we feel stressed and anxious. A great way to help yourself to eat healthy even when you’re stressed is to not have those unhealthy foods around. I’m not saying to stop eating your favorite foods, but I do recommend looking for a healthy alternative. I’m a big fan of desserts and I still feel like I need to have something sweet after lunch. Instead of trying to ‘control’ myself I’ve looked for healthy desserts that can replace my unhealthy go-to foods (like cookies!).

Take your own bags

One of the hardest habits I’ve ever had to break is reducing the use of plastics in my life. Replacing plastic or paper shopping bags with reusable ones seems simple. And it is simple, it’s just not easy! I love my reusable cloth bags for groceries, I even have some small cloth bags for shopping in the bulk isle. The best tip I can give you is to keep them in your car. See how it feels! There’s something magical about taking care of the environment.

Pay in the self-checkout

So many of us overspend right when we’re about to pay! All of those low-risk products available in the register isle are a great marketing strategy that we all fall into. Paying in the self-checkout will prevent most of this over-spending.

Pay with cash

Paying with cash actually makes you save money. Paying with cash activates the region of the brain associated with pain, which is a reaction that we don’t get when we pay with a card. If you want to avoid over-spending, paying with cash is a great way to control yourself.